Red-tailed Hawk Catches Mid-day Squirrel Meal

Captured images in early 2020 of a red-tailed hawk—from initial perching on first tree to perching on second tree with its captured squirrel meal. View the video for the six sections.

Red-tailed Hawks, Segue to Additional Hawks

Various sites display basic info about this hawk's length (slightly less than two feet), weight (3 pounds, give or take a few ounces), wingspan (four feet or so), and scientific name (Buteo jamaicensis). The following sites helped me obtain my own bird’s eye view for hawks:

• "Red-Tailed Hawk" provides some basic info about this distinctive bird of prey.
  

  Genders are similar with brown mottling on the upperparts, though the amount of white in their plumage can vary greatly. ... Red-tailed hawks are commonly seen perched on poles, fences, or trees near roadsides as they scan fields for prey.

• "Interesting Red Tailed Hawk facts" provides loads of images in describing 13 facts. All facts interesting, the most significant to me were ones that addressed hunting capabilities and territory.
  

  They have a very keen eyesight that is 8 times as powerful as a human's, ... In flight, this hawk travels at speeds from 20 to 40 mph (64 km/h); however, when diving to catch prey, their speed may exceed 120 mph (190km/h) ... They tend to keep the same territory their whole life; it can be as large as 9.6 square miles (25 square kilometers) ... The birds defend their area with aerial displays of steep dives and climbs, ...

• “Red-tauked Hawk” has basic info, habitat map, and link to a YT video that features several calls. Visit the rest of the hawk section to compare and contrast it with other hawks. For further distraction, peruse the site for even more raptor species info.
• "Texas Hawks and How to Tell Them Apart" provides good guidance with pictures, descriptions of features, and comparisons among the various species. (The info about the red-tailed hawk is the first listed species.)
• "14 Species of Hawks in Texas (With Pictures)" is well- organized with length, weight, wingspan info in addition to descriptions and pix. As in two preceding resources, the red-tailed hawk is the first section on the list.
• "Identifying Raptors" primarily features the red-tailed hawk. To a lesser extent, the video discusses a few other hawks, but not other predator genuses. (The title is misleading because of "raptor" in the title.)

Bird Parts and Wing Parts

This section is an overview about bird and wing identification. (I had run across some sites about red-tailed hawks and other hawks that mention terms unfamiliar to a non-birder such as myself.)

• "Parts of a Bird" introduces basic anatomy, accompanied by an image with identifiers: head, neck, back, rump, tail, undertail coverts, wing, leg, foot, flank, abdomen, chest, throat, chin.
• "How to Use Wing Structure to Identify Birds introduces wing anatomy, accompanied by two images (in flight, perched) with identifiers. These labels were especially helpful for several sites that used the terms: wingtip, wrist, patagium, coverts, primary feathers, secondary feathers, wingspan, wingpit. "Patagium" was  totally new to me; several other terms more clear to the part they pointed to.

Curiosities During Research

As I started viewing and editing stills and videos to organize a video, several questions came to mind:

• Are all predator birds raptors?
• Do birds of prey stake out territories and become familiar with areas?
• How does a hawk hunt and capture its prey?
• Why do some birds' feathers reach ankles?
• Are leg feathers more common among predator birds?

"Why is a bird of prey called a bird of prey and what is it?" explains bird of prey and raptor meaning the same thing:

The victorian scientific name for birds of prey is RAPTOR. This name comes from the latin word meaning a Plunderer – someone who seizes and carries away. That is pretty much what birds of prey or ‘raptors’ do – they seize, or grab their prey and carry it away.

"Raptors" is a good introduction to the four groups of raptors. If interested in more, Googling each type results in much more information. (A little odd to me was the very short eagles section.)

Hawks: "genus Buteo ... broad wings ... powerful feet and strong talons to bind to their prey constricting it in their grasp and puncturing vitals" (noting red-tailed hawk in this group)
Accipiters: genus Accipiter ... short wings ...constant state of motion" (noting Cooper's Hawk in this group)
Eagles: "genus Aquila ... long, broad wings"
Falcons: genus Falco ... longwings” (noting Peregrine Falcon in this group)

"Top 20 Amazing Facts About Hawks" shows great images to go with their listed facts. The five I pasted are the most noteworthy, two of them pertaining to sight. Two others  pertain to my curiosities about hunting characteristics. The "mantling" interested me because my footage showed the hawk's seeming attempt to shield its squirrel upon return to the first tree.

Hawks have excellent eyesight. They can see up to 8 times more clearly than the sharpest human eye ... Hawks are able to catch prey both in the air and on the ground. They use their talons to both catches [sic] and kill their prey ... The bird may eat on the ground or carry its kill to a feeding spot, often a fencepost or tree limb, where it plucks its prey and tears the meat apart with its beak ...Hawks can see colors, like most humans can, as well as those in the ultraviolet range ... Hawks will frequently "mantle" prey, crouching and spreading their wings to form a shield that hides it from other predators ...

"How Do Hawks Hunt? (7 different methods & how to observe)" is informative for the names and descriptions of the methods. The hawk I recorded definitely used the perch and swoop method. The article's accompanying image is very similar to my hawk pix before its descent to capture the squirrel.

In viewing my subject red-tailed hawk's images and clips, I noticed feathers around its legs that made them puffy-looking, maybe exaggerating leg girth. I thought about images of eagles with feather-loaded legs, wondering if raptors typically had feathery legs, unlike lots of birds and poultry that are bare-legged. "Rough-legged Hawks and Feathered Feet" clarifies:

most hawks and eagles have bare legs, ... Eagles in the genus Aquila, which includes Golden Eagles, all have feathered legs, but the hawks of the genus Buteo include both feathered and unfeathered types.

Odds and Ends

A significant part of my topic's effort pertained to items (camera, graphics tools) used, parameters, and image/video post-processing.

Camera: Canon PowerShot ELPH 190 IS
Stills: 5152 x 3864 (cropped, some composited/reduced to 1280 x 720)
Vid: 1280 x 720, 25 fps

Tools:
GIMP 2.10.8 (color/contrast, scaling, cropping, captions)
OpenShot 2.4.3 (video editing)
Kdenlive 6.12.0 (image stabilization part of video editing)

Auther, Authur, Author, Other

Two misspellings, then correct spelling ("author") led me to think of "other". Although directly unrelated to auther/authur/author, "other" letters spell like they could have been pronounced with a short "o" and unvoiced "th". It also seems illogical that the "o" is pronounced as a short "u". These thoughts nudged me to write about some language items, such as some older English-language letters, consonant pairs, silent letters, vowels, and the schwa.

I'm usually an excellent speller. Recently, however, I caught myself having spelled auther, then authur, then author. (Finally, correct spelling!) I thought about the letters I used in those words. "Au", in author's case, is pronounced with a short "o" sound. The "th" in author is unvoiced. The last vowel in author is 'schwa'ed". Thus, the unaccented syllable has a vowel that sounds all the same to me--a bridge between the consonant pair and the "r". The schwa is a catch-all vowel sub that's barely there, imho.

Consider the following sounds and characters for "other":

• The "o" is actually pronounced with a short "u" sound rather than a short "o" sound.
• The "th" sound is voiced.
• The last syllable's vowel has that multipurpose schwa sound.

Phonetically, "author" might be pronounced "other" if you were somewhat familiar with English. For the three items I've mentioned, I'll discuss the "th" pronunciation first and vowels later.

th combination, eth and thorn

Correct Pronunciation of "th" combination would seem mystifying to non-native English speakers. "We used to have six more letters in the English alphabet" and "The five lost letters of the English language" provide background on use of "th" as the voiced "eth" (example, "then") and the unvoiced "thorn" (example, "thin"). If "th" were replaced by eth (Ð, ð) or thorn (Þ, þ) symbols, pronunciation would be more obvious. (I'd be in favor!)

additional past letters of interest WRT English alphabet, ash, ethel, wynn, yogh, ...

Both aforementioned resources describe "ash" and "ethel", which actually might look familiar in "separated" images. The "ash" separates to "ae", The "ethel" separates to "oe". The "wynn", another character in both resources, resembles a "p", but is actually associated with "w". The quartz.com resource mentions the "yogh", which resembles the number "3". The description explains "gh" combinations, which I'd often wondered about.

Yogh was historically used to denote throaty sounds like those in Bach or the Scottish loch. As English evolved, yogh was quickly abandoned in favor of the gh combo. Today, the sound is fairly rare. Most often, the gh substitute is completely silent, as in though or daughter.

How about a bigger gulp of past letters in the English alphabet? "10 Letters We Dropped From The Alphabet" displays and describes the following letters: "long s", "ampersand", "thorn", "that", "eth", "ash", "ethel", "wynn", "yogh", and "eng". The video owner makes a good case for leaving the "long s" dead. Actually, the "ampersand" sneaks into areas when character count counts. Some other letters might look logical to bring back. The "eng" could shave off a letter for every gerund and present participle.

vowels

Elementary schooling teaches about a, e, i, o, and u. They teach long vowels and short vowels. Later, they insert words with two vowels side by side, pairs such as "ea", "ee", "ie" ("i before e except after c"), "oo" (weird inconsistent pronunciation, such as "hook" and "loot"). They introduce cues like "magic e" that changes a short-vowel word into with a long-vowel word. It's much later to discover numerous exceptions to rules.

I am puzzled about "o" in "other" being pronounced as a short "u" sound. Think "other" vs. "otter" or "bother". Additional short-u sounding words with "o"—mother, brother.

"Oo" and "ou" can be confusing for pronunciations. Some words with "oo" are pronounced with pursed lips, some as short u's. "Root" seems to have both pronunciations. As for "ou", some pairs combine to sound like "ow". However, various Google search results indicate Canadians pronounce "ou" in "out" and "about" as "oot" and "aboot". "Route" is pronounced "rowt" and pursed-lips "root"—seemingly correct either way (stateside, anyway).

schwa

It looks like a schwa is considered to be a sound, not a letter. I think it should be added to the English alphabet. It resembles an rotated "e". From Merriam-Webster:

an unstressed mid-central vowel (such as the usual sound of the first and last vowels of the English word America)

I'd favor using the schwa to replace all of i's, e's, o's, and u's that currently serve as "unstressed mid-central" vowels. Think of my example of auther, authur, author. Comparative word, such as "better", and a phonetic neighbors "batter" and "bitter" would be fine with a schwa instead of "e" in the last syllable. While I'm at it, I'd spell "neighbor" with a schwa instead of "o".

meandering to consonant combos

I've noticed for many years of three ways of pronouncing "ch". Maybe I've run across so many "ch" words that the correct pronunciation isn't mysterious to me. From "The 3 'ch' sounds: sh, tch, k":

It can sound like k (as in “chasm” or “school”), like sh (as in “charade” or “brochure”), and like tch (as in “champion” and “child”).

One consonant pair that has intrigued me for pronunciation is "tr", as in "tree". I hear "tchree". I sense that someone who pronounces it as "tree" (tongue pressing the backs of the two upper front teeth) would sound like a non-native speaker of English, maybe Eastern European. Related: pronunciation of "dr". Example: "Dream" sounds like "jreem" to me. "Dreem" (tongue pressing near the front of the roof of the mouth) would also maybe sound Eastern European.

Various consonant pairs seem to have one unpronounced letter. "HHow to Pronounce LM in FILM, REALM, PALM, OVERWHELM - American English Pronunciation Lesson" explains that the "l" is actually pronounced. The video also makes a good point about not inserting a vowel between "l" and "m". I tend to skip the "l" when saying balm, calm, palm, but I voice the "l" when saying realm.

"How do you pronounce “kn” in English?" explains the "k" was not always silent.

In early english, the "k" in the "kn" combination WAS pronounced, up until about the 15th century.

"Does German Use Silent Letters?" explains that the "k" in "kn" combination is voiced in German.

In English, the K is silent, like in the word KNEE. In German, both the K and the N are pronounced, and the K is hard.

The website also notes that the "ps" combination:

In English, the P is silent, like in the English word PSYCHOLOGICAL. In German, both the P and the S are pronounced, so the word begins with a ‘psss’ sound.

Additional consonant pairs I've noticed as odd, mostly because of non-pronunciation of one of the letters: mn (as in mnemonic), ph (as in phoenix), pn (as in pneumonia), and pt (as in pteradactyl). The "ph" pronunciation seems consistently "f".

Speaking of letters seen and mostly not heard, Merriam-Webster has a webpage listing and describing silent letters (from A to Z). Visit "Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes How every letter can be (annoyingly) silent".

I hope I've piqued some curiosities about English-language characters present and past, and also about some pronunciations.

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Related: "Pronunciation Musements"

Pairing Up Chemex Carafe and Coffee Machine Filter Basket

The 12-cup electric drip coffee maker from only 2017 quit after brewing a partial pot of hot coffee. The reservoir still had some cold water. When I poked around my supermarket website for candidate replacement coffee makers and spotted a Chemex, I thought, "Whoa! I have one of those!" I'd had it for many years but didn't use it and forgot about it.

Anyway, I made short-term use of my Chemex with the broken machine's filter basket and filters instead of hunting down square Chemex filters. (I did notice the ad also showed a separate mesh filter. My Chemex was so old it didn't come with the filter.)

How did I arrive at using the Chemex and the coffee machine filter basket to brew?

The Chemex box showed brewing instructions. The manual inside had additional info. They called for square filter papers that you fold twice and make it conical. Didn't have any such filters. The supermarket website didn't list any. Anyway, I found a YouTube video that showed the brewing process to be relatively easy: "HOW TO BREW CHEMEX COFFEE | a simple chemex brewing guide". I wondered about using filters already on hand and folding them twice, as I saw on Google that regular filters are usable.

Peering into a Chemex, Glancing into Drip Coffee Makers

"Chemex – The History & Brewing Guide" explains the chemistry look of the carafe, indicating also the association with the inventor and product name.

The Chemex is a classic and elegant brewing device that was designed by the German chemist, Peter J. Schlumbohm. ... in production since 1941. ... Schlumbohm was inspired by two laboratory apparatus: his laboratory glass funnel and his Erlenmeyer flask. He added an air channel to the funnel in order to leave space for the air displaced by the liquid dripping into the vessel to escape easily. He added a "belly button” to the Erlenmeyer and then combined it with the modified glass funnel.

Brew process starts with boiling water, placing a coffee filter in the conical area and dampening it, and adding coffee grounds. The pour process requires boiled water for "bloom", then more water in stages for optimal flavor extraction: "If your coffee is fresh enough, you will see an amazing bloom, which is the reaction of the coffee when water is added and the carbon dioxide is released."

Electric coffee makers have "shower heads" that dispense boiled water over the basket containing grounds. The coffee drips into the carafe. More recent machines have a pause device at the bottom of the filter basket so you can pour coffee before brewing completion. Caution: As pausing does not stop the brewing process, the carafe needs to be back on the hotplate quickly to prevent fluid overflow.

Musing Over Additional Past Coffee Maker Events

I had used a Melitta pourover coffee brewer in the distant past, similar to "Melitta 36 oz. Pour Over Coffee Brewer, Black". Liked it OK, but was ready to try a drip method that didn't require babysitting. My cone was transparent plastic. I don't remember the carafe, but I suspect I had broken it. I recall having tried the cone on a different-company carafe, but the seating alignment was less than perfect. I concluded that I must have tossed the cone. Maybe that cone might have seated onto the Chemex rim or fit inside the Chemex funnel part.

This recent adventure with the broken coffee maker made me think of other machines in my past. I even had an electric percolator, which I think I'd donated. (Listen to the perky music. "Time for Coffee - Singing Coffee Pot") I'd also had a Mr. Coffee, so old that it didn't have a pause feature.

Over time, I've broken maybe two carafes, bought at least one replacement carafe. Have tossed out two carafes because they didn't seat onto newer machine hotplates. Wouldn't you know, the Proctor Silex carafe is juuuust slightly too large for the Hamilton Beach machine's hotplate. In any case, I think the lesson is to never toss out functional coffee maker parts or carafes or lids.

The Chemex goes back into the box, relief pitcher again as needed.

Cicadas Overnite Early Aug 2021

On August 2 morning, I spotted 5 items—a live but nearly immobile cicada and four exuviae (exoskeletons). The cicada and an exuviae (Specimens A and B) were on one porch column. Another exuviae (Specimen C) was on the second column, and two (Specimens D and E) were on the third column. I don't believe the cicada had emerged from any of these exuviae, but maybe alighted in the area from elsewhere. (Nearly all of my cicada sightings have been empty-shell only.)

From past observations, cicadas abandoned their shells shortly after they molted and air-dried off. I observed one emerging cicada and periodically recorded and pic'd it during a few hours. One last time that I went outside, the bug departed, leaving its shell stuck to the step. "Molting Cicada Visitor at My Doorstep" (video, article) details that event.

Note the similarity of the 2017 bug's backside mask look to the more recent Specimen A.

This year is apparently a banner year for cicadas, often referred to as "brood X" cicadas, the X being Roman numeral for ten (10). Much of the eastern part of US got their cicadas in May. My latecomers and others in the area seemed to arrive in July and early part of August. The following resources provide good background for this year's bounty:

• "These dogs, birds, and squirrels are stuffing their faces with Brood X cicadas" (May 21, 2021)
• "The cicadas have arrived in some states: Can they bite or sting? Are they dangerous to pets? What you need to know." (May 20, 2021)
• "What You Need to Know about Brood X Cicadas in 2021" (March 22, 2021)
  I wondered how long an emerging cicada might hang around before taking off. This nature.com article states, "Cicadas are at their most vulnerable right after shedding their shells. It takes a newly emerged cicada around 30 minutes to harden its new carapace and pump its wings full of blood."

Speaking of emerging cicada, "Periodical Cicada transformation timelapse" shows an excellent timelapse video of an cicada emerging. The digital clock display of more than 4 hrs running time compresses into a 2-minute video.

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More articles about cicadas

EZ Blender Hummus 2.0

This hummus recipe is blender based, tweaked from my first batch in June 2021 (YT video, blog article). It's thicker and smoother, very little of it getting runny by the next few days.

• Reduced water from 1/3 C to 1/4 C.
• Picked out more bean skins by using a slotted spoon and slotted spatula, in addition to strainers.
• Used puree setting more often than pulse or liquefy, cautiously using rubber spatula for thorough mixing.

Related: "EZ Blender Hummus, Closer Eying 4 Ease" goes into more details and extra info about hummus considerations.

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Stuck Blender Blade? Check and fix!
video, article

June and July 2021 Full Moons, Strawberry and Buck

Did you wonder about recent hoopla about names for full moons? My topic emphasis is on Strawberry (June) and Buck (July) for this year.

"[Moonname] Moon: What is it and why does the Moon have different names?" initially explains the current or upcoming full moon. It also provides names and explanations for the rest of a year's full moons, including "blue moon":

Native American tribes named it this [Strawberry Moon] because they would harvest strawberries during this time. ... But this month it will also be a supermoon - that's when the full moon looks bigger and brighter in the sky than normal because it's closest to the Earth in its orbit than most other times.

Note the July full moon (Buck) shows a Getty pic of a nice pair of bucks in front of the moon. More on the buck moon farther down.

Moon Shots

I took images for the full moons for June and July this year. June 22 was a dry run for multiple-pic taking, not many good ones showing features. June 24 was a better yield, despite threatening clouds playing hide-and-seek. July 23 was a total bust because I neglected to review my camera settings and wound up with overexposed moon shots that I couldn't post-process to obtain features. July 24 yielded good results, but unexpectedly boring--nearly all identical shots!

Strawberry Tie-ins for Strawberry Moon Shots

Strawberries, yum! I had seldom bought any for over a year. But they've re-appealed for the last couple of months. I cut the tops, rinse them off, cut the bottoms into one bowl, and cut the rest into rings and semi-rings into another bowl. I sprinkle sugar into the first bowl, cover it, and let the berries juice up overnight for cereal the next day. The other bowl (covered) of berries keep in the fridge for well over a week because of lack of fluid and sugar.

Strawberry is one of the main flavors of neapolitan ice cream, the others being vanilla and chocolate. Neapolitan helps an ice cream eater avoid having to commit to only one or two flavors when buying a carton.

Neapolitany Cakes

The strawberry full moon, which occurred June 24, was fresh on my mind when I decided to make a cake June 25. Maybe subconsciousness for neapolitan-theme cake nudged me toward ensuring strawberry on the brain. Sometime during consumption of the three-flavor cake, I decided to try a different flavor-arrangement version.

Cake #1—yellow and strawberry cake (nowhere as zebra-stripey as originally intended), chocolate frosting

The strawberry batter includes 1 package of strawberry Flavor-Aid, which might have thickened the batter that I made with 1/2 of the yellow cake batter.

Cake #2—yellow and chocolate cake (nowhere as marbly looking as originally intended), strawberry frosting

From looking at some YouTube videos, it looks like marbling is better for alternating batter splotches in a couple of passes, then dragging a knife or spatula in wide swaths. I had poured yellow batter onto two pans, then splotched chocolate batter, then dragged the spatula. Result wasn't much marbling.

Neapolitan Ice Cream

What's special about neapolitan ice cream? When did they first make it? How do the layers come together?

"Learn About the Origin of Neapolitan Ice Cream" describes the confection and its origin:

Neapolitan ice cream – also called Harlequin ice cream – is composed of three flavors. They are chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry that are arranged side by side without packaging in between them. ... It derives its flavor colors from the Italian flag. Green (almond or pistachio), Red (cherry or pink), and White (vanilla).

"How do they get the three flavours of Neapolitan ice cream into the box" provides further explanation of the factory process:

Three ice cream flavour tanks, holding about 10,000 litres, are filled with chocolate, strawberry or vanilla ice cream. ... Pipes from each tank meet in a large rectangular nozzle, which is the same shape and size as the short side of the old-fashioned, two-litre, cardboard ice cream container.

The nozzle has two dividers, thus separating the three flavours of ice cream. ... It drops down to the bottom of the box and fills it with the three bands, before moving on to the next box . ... The boxes then go into a freezer where the ice cream hardens for about eight hours

Buck Moon Shots

As mentioned previously, my slide show for the buck moon was boring—all 39 frames looked nearly identical. Sooo, a nice image with enlargement is in my video.

Buck Tie-ins for Buck Moon Shots

I was fortunate enough to record several snippets of deer with a buck in the herds on adjacent days around the buck full moon. I also included some additional buck cameo images. How can that be? View and find out!

Want additional astronomy-themed articles? Click for "astro topic" search results in my blog. Related: Sky/Astronomy Items YouTube playlist

EZ Blender Hummus, Closer Eying 4 Ease

The "EZ Blender Hummus" article and video pertain to the actual procedure for making a batch. I include info about some substitutions of several online recipes' ingredients for convenience. This article goes into more details and extra info about hummus considerations.

Note: "EZ Blender Hummus 2.0" YT video and blog article now available!

Chickpeas or Garbanzo Beans?

Ever wonder about the two bean names? When shopping for the beans, I had thought chickpeas and garbanzo beans were the same, but wasn't sure. "Chickpeas vs Garbanzo Beans: What's the Difference?" explains:

A chickpea or garbanzo bean both refer to a plant in the legume category with the scientific name Cicer arietinum. ... Garbanzo happens to be the Spanish term while chickpea is the common English term.

I became curious about "chickpea" as one word instead of two, and also what chick had to do with the bean. I could not find etymological reason for "chick". The chick relationship seems to be that chickens really like chickpeas. "Can chickens eat chickpeas?" states "Chickpeas are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and some other key nutrients. Plus, chickens seem to go for crazy for them".

Blender or Food Processor?

I used a very old blender because it's what I have, and no intention of buying a food processor. Turns out to be loads of recipes that use either appliance, even though I did a Google search for "blender or food processor for hummus"

"Blender vs Food Processor" dives deeply into contrasting the two appliances, not specifically for hummus, though.

a blender is a better option for items with a lot of liquid, like smoothies and soups. A food processor is best suited for foods that are mainly solid and require more labor intensive handling, such as chopping and slicing. However, since the line between food processor and blender has, well, blended, you can find high-end appliances that handle both tasks admirably.

In deciding the order of ingredients to blend, I felt smooth hummus was more likely if I blended liquids and powders first, then added the skin-removed garbanzo beans. The steps in "How to Make Hummus That's Better Than Store-Bought - Easy Hummus Recipe" seemed sensible for starting with mixing the liquids and powders, then adding the beans. (She added water later.)

Removing Bean Skins or Not

Some recipes advocate removing the garbanzo bean skins. The "Do You Need To Peel The Chickpeas?" section of "Easy Hummus (Better Than Store-Bought)" compares both batches, with pix, leaning towards skipping removal.

You can see, even from this photo that the skinless chickpeas made for a slightly smoother hummus, but in our opinion it really wasn’t enough of a difference to warrant ten minutes of skinning chickpeas.

Two sites make good cases for removing the skins for smoothness and also looks.

• "The Best Hummus Recipe You Will Surely Use Your Whole Life!" provides an excellent hint for soaking garbanzos to float the skins (at time marker 1:42 to 2:20 ). Note: She went a bit heavy on added olive oil, imho.
• "How I get the shells off cooked CHICKPEAS (easy) - Steven Heap" shows a method that resembles hand-rubbing pellet-size soaps. His best reasons for skins removal is just before the 3-minute mark.

Using Bean Fluid or Rinsing Beans and Adding Fresh Water

A few commenters at "Homemade Hummus Dip" mentioned using the canned bean fluid (aquafaba) instead of fresh water. Retaining the bean fluid sounds good for enhanced flavor and ingredient conservation. OTOH, "Aquafaba: The Good, the Bad, and the Gassy" convinced me to, uh, start fresh—"aquafaba contains a compound known as oligosaccharides. ... The result is bloating and gas, ...."

Vinegar or Lemon Juice

I used vinegar because it's handy. I don't use lemons or lemon juice often so am hesitant to get them, then think about using up excess. In any case, "Substitutes for Lemon Juice" mentions white vinegar substitution is 1/2:1 ratio. If wanting to use lemon juice, "How Much Juice Is In One Lemon?" helps with lemon juice measurements: "if a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, you’ll need to use about ½ a lemon".

Tahini or Sesame Oil

Tahini, a paste made with sesame seeds, is a main ingredient in hummus recipes. Weirdly, tahini is near peanut butters at my supermarket. Even though I bought some tahini, I decided to try subbing sesame oil. Some commenters at "Homemade Hummus Dip" mention using sesame oil, but only half as much as tahini.

Fresh Garlic or Garlic Powder

I didn't want to buy an entire garlic when I'd use only three cloves. Garlic would also need cutting up, chopping, slicing. or pulverizing. Powder form is much more convenient. "Garlic Substitutes" informs—"For 1 clove garlic, substitute 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder."

Olive Oil or Not

I omitted olive oil because so many of the recipes showed it as an after-recipe addition, which I've not seen at eateries. I used one less ingredient and avoided adding extra calories. For using oils other than olive, "These are the best substitutes for olive oil" lists the following substitutions and describes them.

• Peanut oil
• Butter
• Ghee
• Walnut oil
• Sunflower oil
• Canola Oil
• Vegetable oil
• Coconut oil

Freeze Hummus or Not

"Yes, You Can Freeze Hummus, but You Might Not Want To" provides Info for serving, storing, and freezing and thawing.

Informative Website for Several Hummus Considerations

"The BEST Hummus Recipe" covers four items I've floated: blender vs. food processor, removing bean skins vs. not, bean fluid vs. added water, and freezing or not. Another beany topic is soaked beans vs. canned. She used a blender, which appealed to me. Note: The quantities called for seem to be for a double recipe; 30 oz of beans is about two cans' worth of beans.

Additional Notable Hummus Websites

"THE BEST OIL FREE HUMMUS IN THE WORLD" provides a vegan, oil-free recipe (process start time about 1:40). The ingredients, which include the bean fluid, and blending procedure are straight-forward. With using a high-speed blender; the outcome somewhat resembles soft-serve ice cream, Storage in fridge is good for a week.

"Super Easy Hummus" provides a straightforward food-processor recipe in text and also embedded video link. The info is pleasingly compact. Excerpted: "I usually end up using about half of the bean liquid, so be sure to reserve it! ... Also, I like to let the flavors blend several hours or overnight before serving this."

"3-Ingredient Hummus Recipe from Nazareth" is a bit lengthy, and the ingredients amount to five. However, beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt, and water are as minimalist for ingredients as I've encountered in my recipe hunts.

"Easy Hummus (No Tahini)" calls for natural, unsalted peanut butter as a replacement for tahini. He uses a food processor that already contains chickpeas; thus, no determination if the beans are skin-removed or not. The simple process looks good, with ingredients captions, but is missing quantities.

"Simply Hummus Recipe | No Tahini No Olive Oil Hummus | Easy Homemade Healthy Hummus" provides the recipe (~ half portion, imho) in the description as well as video. Options for oils is informative. The sesame flavoring comes from seeds and oil. Note: "Jeera" is Indian for cumin.

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Stuck Blender Blade? Check and fix!
video, article

EZ Blender Hummus

A few weeks ago, I spotted a post on LinkedIn that pointed to "Homemade Hummus Dip". Some comments gave me ideas for substitutions so I might avoid winding up with excess, seldom-used ingredients. I needed to click "Read Directions" button to see instructions, but was glad the website show both ingredient and instruction sections compactly.

My hummus recipe is blender based; numerous other recipes call for using a food processor. Some replacements, considering ease of use or longevity or both (varying ratios):

• Vinegar (subbing for lemon juice)
• Sesame oil (subbing for tahini)
• Garlic powder (subbing for garlic cloves)

Vinegar

Most recipes call for lemon juice. One called for both vinegar and lemon juice. I used vinegar because it's easy. I wanted to avoid overtarting the hummus, so used less sour fluid than called for (2 tablespoons instead of 3). "Substitutes for Lemon Juice" lists the ratio of white vinegar to lemon juice at 1/2:1.

Sesame Oil

Two commenters at the "Homemade Hummus Dip" website mentioned substituting the tahini with half the amount of sesame oil. Besides using half the amount of sesame ingredient, fewer calories and fluid.

Garlic Powder

Fresh garlic seems to show up in all hummus recipes I looked into. Even though real garlic is more authentic flavor, I didn't want to buy an entire garlic. I'd need to peel off three cloves, then hassle with skinning them or smacking them with a blade to make skin removal easier. Chunks would also need cutting up, chopping, slicing. or pulverizing. Pouring garlic powder's easy—1/8 teaspoon per clove!

Omission: Olive Oil

I noticed that numerous recipes called for olive oil, added after making the hummus. I omitted it as unnecessary and extra calories, even if it is supposed to be healthy. (Eateries that I've gotten hummus at don't pour it on.)

I noticed that numerous recipes called for olive oil, added after making the hummus. I omitted it as unnecessary and extra calories, even if it is supposed to be healthy. (Eateries that I've gotten hummus at don't pour it on.)

Recipe Process

My video has the following sections in addition to overall info:

• Ingredients
• Implements
• Bean processing (draining, rinsing, loosening and removing bean skins, re-rinsing and re-draining). (Skinning the beans makes for smoother hummus.)
• Blending (liquids and powders first, then the beans)
• Finishing up (pouring into server, sprinkling paprika, serving or storing, stats

Recipe Afterthoughts

The process for separating the beans from skins was more involved than I anticipated. Why remove the skins? "How I get the shells off cooked CHICKPEAS (easy) - Steven Heap" shows a method. The best reasons for skins removal is just before the 3-minute mark.

My bean skin removal process didn't go as quickly and thoroughly as I'd hoped. For making hummus the next time, I'll use a deeper, bigger bowl and strainer, and also use a slotted spoon and spatula.

The finished hummus (10 1/2 oz yield) poured out thinner than I expected. Best to use less fluid at the onset. Be mindful of amount of fluid called for and how substitutions might affect viscosity.

On the second day, water started to separate from the hummus. I scooped the thicker stuff for consuming anyway. Ob the third day, I poured the rest into my salad greens and tossed. Tasty!

Read "EZ Blender Hummus, Closer Eying 4 Ease", which includes additional details and extra info. 

Note: "EZ Blender Hummus 2.0" YT video and blog article now available!

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Stuck Blender Blade? Check and fix!
video, article

Holey Pipes--Flute, Piccolo, Recorder, Fife, Pan Flute

Earlier this month, a classical radio station mentioned a program having recorders. "Recorder" had mystified me for a long time. I wondered why the term, when it didn't record. I also wondered about other single-pipe instruments that musicians blew into, such as flutes, piccolos, and fifes. As for pan flutes, each instrument has multiple, different-length pipes connected raft-like and is named for the mythological god Pan.

Orchestral/band flutes and piccolos resemble each other, the flute being a little over two feet long and the piccolo half the length. The fingering is on levers that cover holes. They're played so the pipes face sideways.

Recorders and fifes have holes for fingering. The fife is played sideways, air blown into the blowhole. The recorder gets played vertically, blown into as though it were a whistle. Recorders' lengths depend much on pitch, as shown in the recorder image at "Folk Flutes: Ocarinas, Recorders, Tin Whistles, and Native American Flutes". As for the fife, "Fife musical instrument" mentions length—"The modern fife, pitched to the A♭ above middle C, is about 15.5 inches (39 cm) long".

My image is of some sort of pipe instrument, but I don't know what. It measures 20 1/2" long, 1 1/4" diameter, has a blowhole and six finger holes. The bore is 3/4" diameter, ~2 3/8" deep from one end, ~18" the other end. It isn't a finger-lever band flute or piccolo, and not a vertical-played recorder. Though process of elimination would mean it would be a fife, one other possibility remains—a less formal flute as advertised:

Flutes seem to be the alpha instrument in my discussion about flutes, piccolos, recorders, fifes, and pan flutes.

"Handmade Bamboo Flute" shows a bamboo pipe with a blowhole (square) and 6 finger holes. However, the length, listed as "Approximately 12" long", makes it too short for my pipe to be that kind of flute.

"Make a Professional Sounding Flute for $1" shows another casual use of the word "flute", Coincidentally, it's inexpensively made. The note-tuning methodology, however, might be more difficult to manage.

Sites that Cite Multiple Pipe Instruments, Despite Website Titles

A music teacher at "Is a fife a flute, a piccolo, or something else?" provides a very succinct reply to cover three of the pipe instruments I wondered about: "First off, they are all flutes. The fife and the piccolo are the higher range of the flute family."

Christopher Smith, musician and teacher of music describes and contrasts the same three instruments in more detail:

“Flute” is the term (in English) for a transverse instrument (held sideways) that you blow across. Modern band and orchestra flutes are usually metal and have keys with a separate head joint, but that is a subset of the “flute” category. ... A piccolo (which is short for the Italian “flauto piccolo” or “small flute”) is pitched an octave higher than an orchestra flute, though it has almost exactly the same fingerings (it only goes down to D and when you get into the highest octave, the fingerings can vary from instrument to instrument). This is the instrument that is closest in sound to a fife, not because of its size but because the fife has a smaller bore ...

At "What is the difference between a fife and a flute?" a fife maker provides a helpful overview reply about flutes and fifes:

All fifes are flutes, and most flutes are not fifes. In particular the fife has 6 or seven holes, plays the diatonic major scale, with other half notes cross-fingered or ‘half-holed, played by fingers directly on holes. Fifes are held to the right and blown transversely.

"What Is a Fife?" shows a pic with three dissimilar fife examples. Comparison and contrast of the fife to recorder, flute, and piccolo:

The fife is a small woodwind instrument known especially for its high pitch and loud, piercing volume. It closely resembles a recorder in that it is typically made of wood and utilizes open finger holes instead of levers like the piccolo or flute. It is still reminiscent of the piccolo, however, in that it is held perpendicular to the mouth with the hands to the side, and the mouth does not touch the instrument but instead blows a stream of air through the mouthpiece.

The site also includes historical and usage information.

A subtopic for "What is the difference between 'a flute' and 'a pipe'?" addresses "What are the different types of flutes?" with pictures of musicians from different parts of the world playing recorders, whistles, vertical and traverse flutes, and a pan flute.

"What is a Fife? And how is it in comparison to the Flute/Whistle?" provides a glimpse of a fife description and contrast to similar instruments.

A fife is the mezzosoprano member of the flute family. Any transverse flute with a bell tone ranging from A to C is pretty much a fife. ... The modern fife has, in addition to the six finger-holes, 4, 5 or 6 keys. ... A fife is basically a piccolo without keys. ... The primary difference between any MODERN thing called a fife and any modern thing called a whistle is that the whistle is end blown and the fife is a side blown "traverse" instrument.

Flute

"The birth of the flute" provides overview history of the flute.

The term "flute" was originally applied both to pipe instruments held sideways and pipe instruments held vertically. Thus, the vertically held recorder was also called a "flute." Indeed, up until around the middle of the eighteenth century (the era of Baroque music), the word "flute" was commonly used to describe the recorder. To distinguish the transverse flute from the recorder, it was referred to in Italian as the flauto traverso, in German as the Querflöte, and in French as the flûte traversière-all of which mean "sideways held flute.

"Why is the flute played sideways?" explains:

Most of the woodwind instruments are played vertically. The player blows a stream of air down toward the floor. But the modern flute is played horizontally. ... Playing the transverse flute (sideways) allows the player to blow air across a hole in the lip plate, rather than into a mouthpiece or reeds.

If the flute were played straight, it would need to make sound like a recorder, ... The transverse flute has a wider dynamic range, meaning it can play much softer and much louder than a recorder.

Piccolo

"A tiny instrument with a tremendous history: the piccolo" provides basic history and description.

This high-pitched petite woodwind packs a huge punch. Historically, the piccolo had no keys, but over the years, it has transformed into an instrument similar in fingering and form to the flute.

"'Stars and Stripes Forever' with five piccolos" shows the gutsiness for five piccolo soloists when they move to front and center.

Fife

"Fife" displays a simple pic with labels for parts. The short description: "The Fife is a small flute, usually made of wood. It has a narrow bore, or wind channel, which gives a shriller sound than flutes used in orchestras." The embedded link to Beauty and the Beast YouTube video is a nice touch.

"Fife musical instrument" includes additional info and reiterates the bore and pitch—"small transverse (side-blown) flute with six finger holes and a narrow cylindrical bore that produces a high pitch and shrill tone."

"Historical Fifes" and "The traditional fife" provide historical info and show example pictures. Oldflutes.com emphasizes military association more than musiquemorneaux.com, and also shows "keyed" as well as holes-only fifes.

Recorder

"Why is a recorder called a recorder?" explains the instrument's name:

The word "recorder" comes from the Latin "recordari," which combines "re" (again) and "cor" (heart). The meaning was to record something by going over it in the mind, in the sense of learning "by heart.

"The Recorder is easy to play" shows a nice diagram that identifies parts and fingering positions.

"An Introduction to the Recorder" provides elementary info and an image that shows the association between pitch and size (sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor and bass).

Pan Flutes

This section pertains to the raft-configured instrument that has different-length pipes.

"What is a Pan Flute? - History, Origin & Types" explains:

A pan flute is a musical instrument composed of numerous pipes, lined in a row. ... The pipes are either of different length or are blocked at different points. Either way, when the musician blows across the top of the pipes, each one produces a different note.

"History of the Pan Flute" contains extensive info, although also includes some reasoned speculation.

After primitive man had produced sound by hitting things, he probably accidentally discovered sound production by blowing a pipe, stems of plants (reed or bamboo) or animal bones. The "one pipe pan flute" probably came first.

"Pan" (gods-and-demons.fandom.com) describes the mythology of Pan creating the multiple-pipe musical instrument:

Pan, not knowing which reed Syrinx was transformed into, took seven or nine of them and joined them side by side in decreasing length, thus creating his musical instrument that bore the name of the nymph.

During research about pan pipes, I ran across instructions for making such instruments using easily available items.

"How to Make a Panpipe / Pan Flute" provides pictures and instructions. "How to Make Pan Pipes" describes (accompanied by illustrations) three methods—PVC, straws, and bamboo.

View and select YouTube video links to DIY panpipe projects that use drinking straws.

Additional Resources

Visit the following sites for yet more content and images.

• "The story of Pan - The myth of the pan flute"
• "Pan" (greekgodsandgoddesses.net)
• "What’s the Difference Between a Flute and a Piccolo?"
• "Piccolo vs. Flute: How to Decide Which to Play"
• "Flute And Recorder Similarities And Differences"

8 Caterpillars and Inchworms from April 11-17 2021

These eight critters that I imaged in the neighborhood between April 11 and 17 had fascinated me but also mystified me. Inchworms are a subset of caterpillars. Seems that the locomotion means indicates which animal is which. Viewing video movement is a lot more helpful than viewing still captures. I looked up anatomy and diagrams, then viewed videos that contrast inchworms and caterpillars.

Overall Contrasts Between Inchworm and Caterpillar

"Inchworms" explains the familial relationship and big-picture contrasts.

The common name "inchworm" applies to a large group of caterpillars that includes many different species of moth larvae. ... In different regions throughout the United States, the common name inchworm may apply to native and non-native leaf-feeding caterpillars also known as spanworms, cankerworms, loopers, moth worms and measuring worms.

Common caterpillars have a series of true legs and fleshy "prolegs" that support movement from head to tail. In contrast, inchworms have true legs at the front and prolegs at the rear with a legless expanse in between. To travel forward, inchworms take it one end at a time, as though they're measuring their route. First, the rear moves forward, causing the legless midsection to arch or "loop" up. Then the inchworm lifts and extends its front end, and the rear begins to move again.

"Inchworm Identification" explains:

They're the larval stage of moths of the Geometridae family. ... The easiest way to identify inchworms is by their movement. Inchworms, also called cankerworms, bend their smooth bodies upward in the middle, bringing their hind prolegs up to meet their front true legs -- the legs that will remain in adult moth form -- then pushing their front legs forward to extend their bodies again. It looks almost as if the worms are measuring the tree branch as they walk.

• "Insect Anatomy: The Parts of a Caterpillar" and "Caterpillar Anatomy" each provides a good image that identifies caterpillar parts, followed by descriptions.
• One Google results page shows several diagrams of inchworms, although descriptions are not as easy to find.
• "How Caterpillars Crawl - Extreme Close Up" interestingly lives up to the video title.
• "Inchworms" shows several inchworms inching along for entertainment and amusement.
• "Caterpillars Dancing how they move crawl insect macro video" focus qualities are somewhat inconsistent, but close-in views contrast caterpillars from inchworms.

Mysterious Matchhead-esque Caterpillar/Inchworm

I recorded the half-inch critter April 11 and uploaded it to YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5_wI76Za4E, requesting some ID help. I received suggestions that don't seem to have panned out (Indian moth larva, fungus gnats). Looking online yielded close-but-no-cigars images. I did run across other prospective topic critters, such sawflies, maggots, and grubs. "What Are the 5 Types of Insect Larvae?" provides a good overview of wormy larvae types. For that matter, the Scarabaeiform ("grub") bore a head and body color/shape resemblance, but the rest of the description, nah.

Two Days, Two Inchworms

I recorded one on April 13, and the next one on April 14. No doubt, with their moving forms and also distinctive hind areas that resemble miniature hippo bodies and chunky, trunky legs.

Trapeezy Caterpillar, I Presume

Another April 14 capture, the critter was in suspension and view. The slowed-down clip seems to show glimpses of legs on the entire body length, so I concluded it was a caterpillar. I still waffle over whether I saw caterpillar legs or not. A video that accompanies mid-April "Central Texas caterpillars are out, but only some could potentially destroy your garden" shows a trapezey critter that definitely is an inchworm. OTOH, Google images and Shutterstock [] show trapezey critters that could be non-inchworm caterpillars.

Disheveled-looking Critter

It was not my most elegant capture (April 14), but interesting enough for me to attempt to ID it. The closest critters I thought it might be were "asp caterpillar" or "puss caterpillar", hairy like toupees, and dangerous to touch.

Little Critter with Bulbous Head and Hindsection

This final capture for April 14 was about the length of a pinky fingernail. It wasn't much of a mover, but just enough undulation to indicate it was a caterpillar.

Spasticky Caterpillar

This critter bounced around, then went on the straight and narrow, along a length of grout. I was able to view enough legs and motion to conclude it was a caterpillar, not inchworm.

Jadelike Caterpillar with Measuring Stick

This caterpillar was the critter I was most prepared to capture. After I placed a 4-inch ruler near it, it edged closer so I could record it in real time for distance. The color reminds me of light green jade.

Additional Meandering Buggy Resources

• "Learn about Texas Insects"
• "Caterpillar Facts & Worksheets"
• "Guide: Find Your Caterpillar With Photos and Descriptions"
• "How Does a Caterpillar Turn into a Butterfly?"
• "PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE SPECIES:SKIPPERS, BUTTERFLIES & MOTHS"
• "Inchworm Life Cycle" (excellent closeup of inchworm)
• "Infestation of Inchworms"
• "Oak Leaf Roller and Springtime Defoliation of Live Oak Trees"

Additional Meandering Resources Pertaining to the Matchhead-esque Critter

• Google results for "white worms with red heads" (attempt to ID the matchhead-esque critter)
• "Differences Between a Caterpillar & a Grub"
• "The Similarities Between Maggots & Caterpillars"
• "Identifying soil beetle pests"
• "Is it a Sawfly Larva or a Caterpillar?"
• "What Are Sawflies?"
• "Pantry Pests - Indianmeal Moths in Food" (at 1:43, large image)
• "Indian meal moth caterpillars feeding" provides a very close look, especially starting around 43-sec mark. Lack of dark markings indicate these caterpillars are not the matchhead-esque critter.
• "How To Get Rid Of Fungus Gnats ( Send'em To The Shadow Realm )" at the 39-sec mark, the worm looks transparent. Also good views starting about 3 1/2 minutes. Good info about gnat control.
• "Crap!! I think I might have Fungus Gnat Larvae"

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Related:

• "Leggy Bugs—Caterpillars (Lepidopteran Larvae, which Become Butterflies and Moths)"
• "Leggy Bugs--Inchworms"

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Thread-leaf Agave in Fall 2020--Blooms, Bees, and Beyond

Also view "Thread-leaf Agave in Fall 2020--Emerging Stalk and Buds" video (12:19 runtime).

My observations of this thread-leaf agave with emerging stalk was October and November 2020. The October video's images are from October 7 through 29, ending with progressively denser bud clusters. For more info about this time period (emerging stalk, buds, similarity to Queen Victoria agave), read "Thread-leaf Agave in Fall 2020--Emerging Stalk and Buds".

My video's images are from November 3 through 20, which include blooms and bees, and also noting the increasing leftward lean of the stalk. (The final segment compares the lean over time.) I recently strolled to the area and saw bare ground, as though the plant was never there.

Filifera vs. Schidigera Agaves, Close Relatives

In researching my subject plant, I looked at several websites for differences between filifera and schidigera. Best help came from some sites that included descriptions and pix of both agaves.

"Agave Filifera Care: Growing Thread-Edge Agave Plants", mentions both filifera and schidigera being from the Asparagaceae family. Differentiation statement: "You can tell these two Agave plants apart as Agave filifera has less conspicuous and finer hairs on its leaves."

"Agave Care, Photos & Varieties" has a gallery of filifera, schidigera, and numerous additional agave types.

Ruth Bancroft Garden and World of Succulents each have separate webpages for filifera and schidigera, with descriptions and images.

From "Plant Highlight: Agave filifera":

• flower coloration: "stalk, buds, stamens and pistils are all dark purple or wine-colored, the face of the flower is a pale yellow, though it too may be flushed with purple"
• rosette-leaves: "sharp-tipped leaves are 6 to 12 inches"
• stalk: "6 1/2 to 8 feet tall"

"Plant Highlight: Agave schidigera"

• flower coloration: "pale yellow"
• rosette: "2 to 2 1/2 feet across"
• stalk: "8 to 15 feet [high]"

"Agave filifera (Thread Leaf Agave)"

• flower coloration: "yellowish-green to purple"
• rosette: "up to 3 feet [across]"
• stalk: "up to 11 1/2 feet [high]"

"Agave schidigera"

• flower coloration: "greenish-yellow"
• rosette: "up to 2 feet [across]"
• stalk: "up to 10 feet [high]"

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• "Thread-leaf Agave in Fall 2020--Emerging Stalk and Buds"
• "Thread-leaf Agave in Fall 2020--Blooms, Bees, and Beyond"

Thread-leaf Agave in Fall 2020--Emerging Stalk and Buds

Also view "Thread-leaf Agave in Fall 2020--Blooms, Bees, and Beyond" video (13:30 runtime).

Early October 2020, I spotted an agave with an emerging stalk (about 7' high). Also, the ballish shape of the leaves ("rosette") caught my eye. I've seen numerous agaves sprout stalks in spring. By the time I identified the plant as a thread-leaf agave, I found info about the stalk emergence and timing:

From "Thread-leaf Agave
Agave filifera subsp. schidigera"

At maturity, in late summer, it produces a flower stalk that reaches eight feet or more with attractive purple blossoms that occur on the upper part of the stalk.

From "Agave Filifera Care: Growing Thread-Edge Agave Plants"

When mature, Filifera will bloom by sending up a 6’ to 8’ foot long flower spike from the center of a rosette. There is no set time of year for this event to occur.

Incidentally, for excellent images and descriptions, visit "Agave filifera (Thread Leaf Agave)" and "Plant Highlight: Agave filifera".

I visited the plant several times during October and November, taking pix and recording videos. In readying for images and video clips, I decided to create two videos. This video (with October images) features the start of the emerging stalk and progressively denser bud clusters. (I even captured a gathering of deer.)

First Impression (Incorrect), Queen Victoria Agave

Initially, i thought the agave was a Queen Victoria agave. The base was ball-shaped, with short, arced leaves such the pic at "Queen Victoria Agave". In 2012, I had spotted a newly planted one with a small plastic ID stake. So cute that I took couple of pix and made a composite. 

I noticed when poring through online images that the somewhat spherical base ("rosette") had thread-like fibers, and that the leaves were pointy like yucca leaves. It turns out that my subject plant is a thread-leaf agave, aka filifera. 

Websites that Show Both Queen Victoria and Thread-leaf Agaves

• "12 Varieties and Types of Agave Plants"
• "The Most Beautiful Agave Plants and How to Care For Them"
• "15 Gorgeous Agave Plants"
• Dave's Garden Pages for Queen Victoria and thread-leaf agaves (scroll as necessary)
• "Agave Species, Queen Victoria Agave, Queen Victoria Century Plant, Maguey (Agave victoriae-reginae)"
• "Agave Species, Century Plant, Maguey, Thread Leaf Agave"

November Observations of Thread-leaf Agave

The other video (with November images) features blooms, bees, and post-bees, with noticing the increasing leftward lean of the stalk. (The closing section shows comparisons of the lean over time.) I recently strolled to the site and saw bare ground, as though the plant was never there.

The article WRT November 2020 agave images contrasts the filifera to a close relative, the schidigera, both part of the Asparagaceae family.

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• "Thread-leaf Agave in Fall 2020--Emerging Stalk and Buds"
• "Thread-leaf Agave in Fall 2020--Blooms, Bees, and Beyond"

A 2021 Century Plant's Unfortunate Life Cycle

On January 18, I spotted the agave with an emerging stalk. (Speculating it started its growth maybe the previous week.) Its timing seemed way earlier in a year; many others I've observed seemed to start in early March. Furthermore, it was yellowy rather than green. After a few more pictures, mostly weekly (last one on Feb 8), the February deep freeze hit.

The deep freeze interrupted my attempts at Monday pic-taking for nearly two weeks. By the time I took a pic on Feb 20, I saw that the stalk had been cut part way, and half the leaves limp. Between that day and March 21 (3 1/2 weeks, I was preoccupied with taking post-thaw pictures elsewhere.) Anyway, visits on March 21 and more recent were disappointing—bottom leaves amputated, the stalk cut even shorter, and browning of the plant overall.

A few years ago, I'd seen agaves with leaves cut very short. Shortly thereafter, the plants would gone. In one instance, I'd see it looking weaker before it was removed. Because I never got to see recovery, I thought maybe leaf removal was like amputating limbs and interrupting nutrient flow. Also though that the exposed cross-sections might attract disease or pests.

Trimming Agaves for Pineapple-look Effect

The final plant pix show severely trimmed leaves, but not quite as "pineapple-y" as other cut-leaf pix I've seen online. I then thought to Google for agave pineapple cuts or similar. Some resources on the look, practice, and finger-waggings:

"The Pineapple Cut" shows images of agave leaf trims. One main effect is lessening the plant's diameter.

"Pruning Cacti and Succulents" advises in the Agaves section:

Never "pineapple" an agave (removing live leaves all the way around the circumference of the plant leaving only a tuft at the top), as this renders the plant susceptible to sunburn, insects, disease and rot. If you must prune dead leaves, eliminate only the bottom layer. Removing the pointed tips is also not recommended, mostly for aesthetic reasons.

"Detrimental Agave Trimming continues…" describes the decorative pineapple trimming and presumed reason.

The origin of agave trimming came from the harvesting of agaves for the production of tequila and mescal in throughout various parts of Mexico. This practice is performed when the plants are ready to be processed at the distillery a time when all the leaves must be removed for transportation purposes. ... Not having the bottom leaves weaken agaves and they becomes susceptible to diseases and snout weevil attack. Other lower leaf functions include protecting the plant trunk and the roots from the inclement sun.

Related: "So THAT'S Where Tequila Comes From" describes a company's tequila-making process using blue agaves. One pic shows leaves trimmed so the plants resemble pineapples.

General Agave Trimming Advice, 2021 Freeze, Freeze Advice

"Some of the leaves on my agaves are damaged. Can I cut them off? If yes, how can I prevent the wound from becoming infected? ..." advises care in task preparation:

the sap of the agave can be caustic and cause skin and eye irritation; we would suggest wearing goggles when you cut.

first get rid of that long spine that's ready to get you in the knee or eye. Then, decide if you want to cut farther down on that leaf or leave it to callus over. When you have trimmed back all the leaves that are damaged, you will probably want to keep the shape of the plant by trimming equally all the way around. Work up from the soil level, row by row, as needed. Remember, as formidable as they are, these plants are succulents and can take quite a bit of abuse and still heal.

bacterial infection can enter the plant through wounds. Ordinarily, the plant will take care of that itself by callusing over the cut when the agave is trimmed.

"Austin Texas 2021 Winter Storm - Deep Freeze Aftermath" brings back memories of freeze-shocked plants. An agave view comes in about the 30-second mark.

"How to Help Succulents Survive Rain, Hail, Frost" details prevention of frost damage ahead of time using cloths and screen material. An informative section about agaves about their cold-damage looks comes comes just before the 2-minute mark. The video might actually be helpful in case the ice age sneaks back shortly, or makes a return trip another season.

Feb 2021 Deep Freeze to Aftermath Images

The time period between February 11 and February 23 was exciting for the snow, ice, and cold, especially for power outages and boil-water status. Eventual return to pandemic normalcy was welcome. "What Really Happened During the Texas Power Grid Outage?" (Mar 23, 2021, runtime 16:47) is an informative video that described the deep freeze. It has loads of info about power grid, events, images, and animated graphs. The YouTube description also includes good content and links. A nice touch at end of video requests that commenters be respectful.

Environments outside were pictureworthy. I needed to take a few pix through windows, unwilling to venture into such bone-chilling cold and also risk ruining my camera. I created several composites and organized into groups that show ice, snow, and aftermath. Images are loosely organized as follows, but also include related items:

• Snow, ice, damages to tree branches and other plants
• Neighborhood walk February 12 (day after a big snow dump)
• Neighborhood walk March 11 post-thaw
• Additional related miscellany

I poked around the web for determining post-freeze damages for some plants. Also stumbled on some plant info I hadn't known before, and some that reinforced info from previous research.

Deep-freeze Damages

Two sources are from February 25, but seem to have content that describes the aftermath of the freeze.

"Were your plants damaged by the freeze? Here’s what to do next." includes a video that reiterates the article's text. It's San Antonio-centric, but looks applicable for Austin also. "Dead or dormant? How to tell if your plants survived Texas' winter blast" includes pix and info about damaged prickly pear and other cacti, palms, and sagos.

"Austin Texas 2021 Winter Storm - Deep Freeze Aftermath" from March 1, 2010 showed a homeowner's plants with snow and afterwards. Interesting to see how damaged some of the more deserty plants looked.

Some Plant Resources

The ones nearest and dearest to my heart for this article are sago, tree cholla, and cinnamon cactus. Pic'd in the video, but unmentioned in this section, are thread-leaf agave, photinia, and prickly pear.

 Sago

"Cycas revoluta - 'Sago Palms' How to grow them from seed" provides good pix contrasting male & female characteristics. A more detailed, more caution-oriented resource is "How to Care for a Sago Palm (and Why They Are So Difficult)". "Cycads in the Landscape", like the other two sites, has loads of details. For a casual visitor, the illustration and characteristics identifiers are helpful.

The following videos are sago-owner oriented:

• "How to Prune a Sago Palm Cycas Revoluta"
• "TRIMMING A SAGO PALM FOR SPRINGTIME !" might be late for you to try anything, but might help.
• "How to Trim a Male Sago Palm"

"How to Prune a Sago Palm" didn't provide much in the way of images, but caught my eye with bulleted advice:

• Sago palms are toxic, so wear gloves and be careful when touching the plants. Also don’t let your animals near them or to eat them.
• Prune from the bottom up, clearing the fronds at the trunk by 6″ to 2ft. These are the oldest and lowest leaves and it helps increase air flow.
• Only remove completely dead and damaged fronds. Cutting healthy fronds can weaken the plant, but you can expose the trunk of the palm for ornamental purposes by removing extra fronds.
• Don’t trim sago palm fronds that are between 10 and 2 o’clock positions.

Related, "Is My Palm Tree Dead?" has lots of helpful info in the description box.

 Tree Cholla

I asked for help in IDing an unusual deserty plant. "cholla" bubbled to my consciousness. I stumbled upon "jumping cholla", which didn't resemble the plant much. Shortly afterward, I received suggestions of "tree cholla" (Cylindropuntia imbricata), at Wikipedia and World of Succulents.

Definitely tree chollas are not to be confused to jumping chollas (Cylindropuntia fulgida). Visit "Flying cactus? 10 terrifying things you must know about jumping cholla - ABC15 Digital". Also, the YT link for "dangerous chollas" shows scary thumbnails! In any case, the post-thaw pic in the video looks good and green.

 Cinnamon Cactus

Such a cute plant cluster, resembling miniature prickly pear "paddles"! I did Google image search with that description in mind. When I stumbled on a candidate plant, I spotted an image of a cinnamon cactus. The page at "World of Succulents" even parenthetically refers to it as "Cinnamon Bunny Ears". One image in my video contrasts the iced-over plant with the post-freeze thaw. As the homeowner scraped most other deserty plants, time will tell if it survives.

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Related: "2023 Ice 'N' Arborgeddon" article | video